Edge Davao 9 Issue 102

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016 EATING DURIAN. A young boy munches on a Durian fruit at Magsaysay Fruit stall where the king of fruits is sold at P35 per kilo. Durian fruit, now flooding the markets in Davao City as harvest season already started, is also believed to be a cure for the deadly dengue fever which health authorities said in alarming level after claiming 18 lives this year.

Lean Daval Jr.

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DENGUE DEATHS IN DAVAO RISING 4,564 cases in July 2016 vs. only 1,800 in 2015

By SONNY L. MENDOZA

DENGUE ON THE RISE. Dengue Prevention and Control Program manager, sanitary engineer Antoinette Ebol says there is an urgent need to strengthen ordinances to stop dengue which the health agencies have recorded an alarming 4,564 cases from January to July this year. Ebol made the statement during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

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HE dengue situation in the Davao region has reached alarming proportions.

Engr.

Antoinette Ebol, Dengue Prevention and Control manager of the Department of Health (DOH) Region 11 told reporters during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City on Monday of the significant increase in the number of dengue cases over the past year.

Ebol, a sanitary engineer,

said that her office has already recorded 4,564 dengue cases as of July 15, as compared to the 1,800 cases reported the previous year.

The number of dengue-related deaths also rose from 8 to 40 over the same period, which was an almost five-fold increase, she added.

In Davao City, the highest number of deaths reported where within the 1-4 year old bracket with four, followed by the one year old, 35-29 and 40 year old age brackets with one

death each.

Ebol attributed the rise in dengue cases to several factors.

These include the even rainfall pattern in the region that has made breeding among aedes aegipti mosquitos more conducive, and the lack of proper waste disposal and sanitation practices in the area.

She likewise noted that not all local laws that aim to prevent the spread of dengue in the community area being implemented with regularity.

“Not all [ordinances] are being implemented all-year round,” Ebol said.

In order to address these concerns, she emphasized the need for local government units to exert stronger “political will,” particularly at the barangay levels.

Ebol said that the “Search and Destroy” and “Action Kontra Dengue” programs to eradicate mosquito breeding grounds should be strengthened.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

ACCESSIBILITY BLUES. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) convene at Rizal Park in one of its gatherings in this undated photo. The City Council of Davao will look into the implementation of Batas Pambansa 344 or the Accessibility Law after observing that many establishments in the city are not yet PWD-friendly. Lean Daval Jr.

DOH to curb‘shortness’ of Filipino children

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HE Department of Health (DOH) wants to see increasing number of taller Filipino children in the next five years by stepping up intervention during the first 1,000 days of life.

About 33 percent of 14 million Filipino children are suffering growth failure when they reach five years old due to poor nutritional intervention, said DOH Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said on Saturday.

“It takes time to address the problem of stunting. Our target is to bring down the percentage to less than 30 percent in five years,” Ubial said.

“Our call to all mothers is to breastfeed their child during the first six months and practice proper sup-

plemental feeding from six months to two years.”

The first 1,000 days, according to the health chief, is very critical considering that achieving proper height can be done from conception until a child reaches two years old.

“We can’t improve the stunting after 1,000 days unlike underweight, which can be addressed through 120 days of feeding,” she added.

The critical period are 270 days from conception until birth, 180 days from birth to sixth month, and 550 days before the child’s second birthday.

Proper nourishment in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life is the emphasis of this year’s Nutrition Month, which aims to promote collaboration

Large Mindanao contingent to attend Pres Duterte’s SONA

By SONNY L. MENDOZA

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CARAVAN composed of around 5,000 Mindanao Lumads, farmers and activists are expected to troop to Malacanang to attend President Rodrigo Duterte’s first State of The Nation Address (SONA).

However, instead of bearing red placards highlighting the grievances of the people of the island-region, the contingent from Mindanao will instead use the occasion to throw their support behind the president, according to Bai Ali Indayla of the progressive women’s group Gabriela.

“This is not a protest but a

show of support for our president,” Indayla explained, as she spoke in the vernacular during yesterday’s Kapehan sa SM. The caravan, dubbed “Manilakbayan sa SONA,” will include groups coming from Southern Mindanao, Northeforn Mindanao, CARAGA, Zamboanga Peninsula, SOCSKARGEN and the ARMM. Indayla said that aside from affirming their support for President Duterte, the Mindanao contingent will also be presenting to him a 15-point Mindanao People’s Agenda, which underscores the need

for “genuine and concrete reforms for the people.”

The Agenda was crafted during the Pukaw Kalinaw Peace Rally-Forum last June 28.

“We have to emphasize the need to implement more ‘pro-people’ policies,” she said.

Indayla said that among the major issues and concerns the Agenda will push for include agrarian reform, national industrialization, health, housing and the protection of the environment.

She also revealed that the Mindanao delegation will also ask the president to order the

immediate pull out of military troops from Lumad communities across Mindanao.

She said that this request was in response to the recent attacks against Lumad leaders, which include the killing of Hermie Alegre, the attempted murder of Danny Diarog and the murders of three Lumad farmers in Sumilao, Bukidnon.

“President Aquino has already stepped down but ‘Oplan Bayanihan’ still continues,” Indayla pointed out.

“The soldiers have to be pulled out immediately and be bent home to their families,” she said.

in child trafficking cases either don’t have access to education or don’t even have food on the table.

She noted that despite existing laws that aim to ensure the protection of the rights of the youth such as 10354 (Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Act of 2012 and the RA 10364) and RA 10364 (An Act Expanding RA 9208 to Eliminate Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children), child trafficking still remains a rampant problem of society.

For this year, Talikala has recorded 57 trafficking cases, 26 of which involve youth and 29 concerning women.

According to Ampog, most of the victims they have handled involve child labor and exploitation cases. t The youngest victim they helped recover was 13 years old.

A majority of them come from the Cotabato and Marawi areas.

Ampog said that is now looking at communities who have reported a lot of lost children, as they may be victims of child trafficking.

“Thereof are a lot of cases that are not reported” she said.

She stressed that barangay officials, hand in hand with parents, should take the lead in ensuring the safety of children

in the community.

Service providers such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and thy e local police force must also undergo more training to ensure their effectiveness in handling child trafficking cases.

Another NGO, the Child Alert Mindanao also told reporters that from January to June they were able to monitor children being trafficked to Zamboanga, Mindoro, Manila and to Sabah, Malaysia.

“Victims of child trafficking are usually forced to do child labor in these areas. Children below 15 years old are the ones being recruited. They are

More livelihood opportunities need for Davao Boy Scouts founding day bared city’s youth to combat child trafficking F DOH, 10

By ISEL JHIAN ABAD/INTERN

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HE Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) Davao City Council will commemorate the 51st founding anniversary of BSP slated on July 20 to 23.

The three-day celebration will commence with a grand parade on Wednesday that will end at the Rizal Park.

Other outdoor activities that will be joined by BSP members in the city will also be facilitated at the Kapitan Tomas Elementary School.

Dominador Lopez, the OIC scout executive of BSP in Davao City said they are expecting for the arrival of President Rodrigo Duterte during the celebration.

“The event will represent an opportunity for Boy Scouts in the city to gather and develop character building to become good citizens of the country,” Lopez said.

He said of the 69,000 to 93,000 estimated total members of Boy Scouts in the country, around 5,000 to 6,000 are from Davao City.

But the number of Boy Scouts is smaller compared to the total number of young boys in the country.

“We have a huge number of children in the Philippines and yet we only have 93,000 members,” Lopez said as he called on communities and

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M

ORE livelihood opportunities should be created for city’s youth as a means of addressing the growing concern of child trafficking.

This was among the recommendations of Jeanette Ampog, executive director of the Talikala Foundation, a Davao-based non-profit organization that is working to protect the welfare of the city’s women and youth.

“Everything starts with the lack of [economic opportunity],” Ampog said during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw in SM City.

She pointed out that a lot of the youth who are involved

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Pulong wants probe on Guianga attack

By ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

D

adlopez0920@gmail.com

AVAO City Acting Mayor Paolo Duterte called on authorities on Monday to look into the reported attack against two tribal leaders in Sitio Kahusayan, Barangay Manuel Guianga in Tugbok District.

Reports said that Hermie Alegre, 28 years of age and Danny Dairog, 31 were attacked by armed men in tandem at around 1:00 in the afternoon on Friday, July 16 in Purok 5, Kahusayan.

Alegre was declared dead

upon arrival at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) while Diarog is still in critical condition.

“I am calling on the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) to conduct a thorough probe into the violent attack in Sitio Kahusayan in Manuel Guianga Friday last week that resulted in the death of Hermie Alegre and the wounding of Danny Diarog,” Vice Mayor Duterte said in a statement given to the media.

EDGEDAVAO

NEWS 3

Philpost issues new IDs

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

I

crc@edgedavao.net

N a bid to end the proliferation of fake postal identification cards (Ids) used in different transactions, Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost), a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), is now issuing modernized IDs equipped with better security features.

“We have been receiving complaints on the usage of fake postal IDs,” Elmer Obelidhon, Philpost marketing specialist for Eastern Mindanao said during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.

Obelidhon said Philpost had sealed a contact with the

private firm Philmetrics for the development of better security features for the postal IDs. The new ID will have better features like hologram, magnetic strips, guillotch and ghost image. The Philpost will also use ultra-violet (UV) inks.

The Philpost will no longer issue postal IDs made of paper,

but a card made of plastic for P504. Existing ID holders can have up to 25 percent discount.

“We have been issuing modernized postal IDs since April,” he said. “To date, more than 6,000 new IDs are released.”

Obelidhon said these IDs

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F PULONG, 10

City execom fast-tracks Kadayawan preparations

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ITH only less than a month left before the celebration of the 31st Kadayawan sa Dabaw, the executive committee of the festival is now fast-tracking its preparations, ironing out things to ensure the success of the celebration that is expected to draw thousands of local and foreign tourists.

Art Boncato, co-chairperson of the executive committee, said considering the time constrain, members of the committee is now finalizing the details of the festival events.

Boncato said he instructed the members of the executive committee to make major decisions on a daily basis, as they want to focus on the promotions and publicity of the festival in the following weeks.

“By the end of this week, all of the details that need to be implemented for Kadayawan will be finished,” he said.

This year’s Kadayawan, happening August 15 to August 21, is expectes to be simple and meaningful compared to previous celebrations.

Last year, the budget al-

F CITY EXECOM, 10

PHILIPOST ALIVE. PhilPost market specialist for Eastern Mindanao Elmer Obelidhon, who said Philippine Postal Corporation is still relevant despite the emergence of email and other social media formats, shows a sample

of the agency’s new postal identification card which PhilPost has started realeasing to the public for P504 each. Obelidhon guested in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

EDGEDAVAO

4 SUBURBIA

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

DavNor officials assure exec, legislative synergy M T

HE SYNERGY between the executive and legislative arms of the provincial government of Davao del Norte is crucial to the success of the development agenda being pursued by the new administration.

Governor Anthony del Rosario asked members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to build a good working relationship with his office in serving the best interest of the Dabaonon people.

“Fulfilling our mandate to serve the best interest of our people calls for better complementation and not competition,” he told the board members.

Fresh from the strategic planning workshop of the Capitol executives, the governor went straight to address the Legislative Summit at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao City.

He asked the SP members to support his 10-point development agenda B.E.S.T. P.E.O.P.L.E. that is meant to ably prepare the Dabaonon people for the twin challenges of the increasingly globalizing

world and climate change.

The strategy is spelled as Balanced ecology, Enhanced agri-aquaculture, Sustainable tourism, Transformative leadership, People empowerment; Education and sports; Optimum health and social services; Public-private partnership; Link to the world; Employment and livelihood opportunities.

In line with the platform, Del Rosario laid out his administration’s plan to deliver welfare provision to the people, being the central push of his new governance slogan, “Abilidad at Malasakit” or “AMA” (competence and empathy).

The governor then assured his full support and commitment to the legislative matters and concerns raised by the board members.

These include the designation of a legal officer in the legislative department; the construction of a new legislative building; and the purchase of new furnitures/fixtures and IT equipment of the SP offices.

The two parties also agreed to hold bi-monthly

PNP 12 pushes establishment of drug treatment, rehab center

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HE Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 is pushing for the establishment of a government-run treatment and rehabilitation center for drug users or dependents in the region.

Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, Region 12 police director, said Monday they are currently working with the various national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) in the area to fast track the development of a regional drug treatment and rehabilitation center.

He said the facility will mainly cater to the rising number of drug users that have been surfacing in parts of the region these past weeks.

The official said they are specifically coordinating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Health (DOH) for the proposed project.

“We still don’t have an institution for drug rehabilitation here in the region that is run by the DOH or any LGU but we’re addressing that now,” he said.

Train said the provincial government of Sultan Kudarat has initially offered to host the facility through its old capitol compound in Barangay Kalawag II in Isulan town.

He said Sultan Kudarat Gov. Pax Mangudadatu signified intent to donate at least five hectares of the old provincial capitol compound and several existing buildings for such purpose.

The old capitol compound of Sultan Kudarat is an ideal site for the facility as it is located beside the provincial office of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System, he said.

PRO-12 is set to sign a mem-

orandum of agreement with TESDA-12 for the rollout of skills training programs for the surfacing drug personalities in Region 12.

The initiative is a component of the newly-launched Project DUTERTE, which stands for Drug Use and Trafficking Elimination through Rehabilitation, Training and Enforcement.

It was formally launched two weeks ago in support of the anti-drug campaign of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The PRO-12 said a total of 8,636 drug personalities, mostly users, have already surfaced and surrendered voluntarily to authorities in the entire region.

Train said their units are currently conducting a profiling of the surfacing drug personalities to properly determine the interventions that they need.

In the absence of a government-run drug treatment and rehabilitation center in the region, he said they will initially refer the drug users to alternative interventions.

“Some LGUs have offered their moral recovery programs and religious groups have also signified to help through counselling services,” Train said.

Project DUTERTE “aims to bring to the fold of law those who are involved in the use and proliferation of illegal drugs.”

It will facilitate their rehabilitation through various programs in coordination with TESDA, local government units and other concerned stakeholders.

The program includes skills enhancement, treatment and rehabilitation, and personality development trainings to help the beneficiaries secure jobs to support their families and divert them from illegal drug-related activities. (PNA)

DavNor students to receive booster vaccines on August

lunch sessions to thresh out executive-legislative issues and other concerns.

Vice Governor Allan Dujali acknowledged the governor for his sincerity in backing the SP, even as he assured the allout support and subservience

of the local legislative chamber to the development agenda of the governor.

“I assure the good governor of the all-out support of the SP to the thrust and programs of the executive department,” he said.

ORE than 85,000 public schools students in Davao del Norte will be boosted with free vaccines on August as the Department of Heatlh (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) will implement School Based Immunization Program (SBIP).

Dubbed as Bakuna para sa Kabataan, Proteksyon sa Kinabukasan, Dr. Raquel Montejo of DOH XI stressed that the free immunization program will cater boys and girls in Grades 1 and 7 to be vaccinated against measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria.

According to the data given by the Provincial Health Office, the public schools in the province have 50,780 Grade 1 pupils and 34,391 Grade 7 students.

Dr. Montejo said that Grade 1 pupils will receive not more than 2 doses of Measles-Rubella vaccines at one month interval (MVC) depending if they have received it earlier and one dose of Tetanus-Diphtheria Vaccine (TDV), while Grade 7 students will get one dose each of both vaccines regardless of immunization status.

Montejo emphasized that the success of the program lies on the consent of the parents and participation of the children.

She said that some of the issues encountered at

HEN the weather finally turned well after a day of rain in this town, work resumed for a road concreting project. Engineers and laborers from both the project contractor and the local government troop to a certain section of the road where the box culvert is supposed to be constructed.

Waiting at the location in Barangay San Isidro in the town of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur where the proposed road would end, was village chief Ferdinand Lazaga, who recommended to the project managers the proper placement of the culvert so as to avert excessive water outflows.

“Kinahanglan naa gyud ang opisyal sa pagplastar sa project… nga kini misubay sa panginahanglanon sa barangay (Barangay officials should be active in the project implementation… to ensure that the needs of the community are met),” Lazaga said.

He added that while there is a detailed project plan, barangay officials and residents must see to it that they are present to monitor the implementation.

Lazaga is referring to the 1.4-kilometer Taganahao-San Isidro farm-to-market road (FMR), which is being funded by the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), with a cost of P14 million.

PRDP through its infrastructure component, Investments for Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics

Development (I-BUILD), aims to put in place reliable infrastructures like FMRs to link agricultural production areas to markets.

Angelica Aguilar, a village leader in the adjacent town of Talacogon, said that they are oriented of their role in the monitoring of the concreting of road projects, particularly the Batucan-Malihao-Del Monte FMR which covers 2.4 kilometers.

“As community leaders, we should play an active role in the regular monitoring of our project and report any problems or anomaly we encounter,” she said.

She added that they should also track if the process is being followed accurately and that the materials used like the cement mix is of good quality and follows the correct standards.

At the same time, project contractors have also recognized the importance of involving barangay leaders and community residents in the implementation of road proj-

ects, according to Miguelito Baron, village chief of Barangay Songkoy in the town of Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte where the 1-kilometer Gamoton-Lake Mainit FMR is ongoing construction.

“We have established a good relationship with the contractor because they inform us if they will conduct cement pouring and other construction activities. We saw that they are transparent,” he said.

Baron said that their LGU has empowered them as partners not only during road inspections but also in ensuring that the project is sustainable.

Road benefits “This road is really for the farmers who have long endured this muddy and rough road, which severely affected the quality of their produce,” Baron added. Now, he said that the transport cost of rice produce may be reduced from 30 to 10 pesos.

Lasaga of Esperanza also echoes this optimism. “The FMR will benefit rice farmers

the start of the program implementation in 2015 were mostly born from the misunderstanding of the parents towards the program.

“Karamihan sa mga nanay hindi nila naiintindihan ang programa; iniisip nila na kompleto na yong bakuna ng kanilang mga anak.” (Most of the mothers did not understand the program; they think that their children received the complete doses of the vaccines.)

Montejo explained that the protection of the vaccines is limited and declines on a certain period. She illustrated that TDV protection can last only for five years.

“Nag-conduct ug orientation ang health offices for parents para sa kaning immunization program (Health offices conducts orientation for parents on the immunization program,” Montejo said.

On Grade 7, Dr. Montejo said that one of the issues they encountered last year was the fear of the students on injections resulting to fainting or their absence during the immunization day.

She said that they will coordinate with the school on the administration of vaccines of the students, who are absent or having problems or sickness during the immunization, for re-scheduling or rural health unit visitation.

(PIA11, Michael Uy)

who used to go around a seven-kilometer route to reach our barangay, where access to market is much easier. When the road is completed, this will significantly decrease hauling and transport cost as well as travel time,” he said.

He added that those living around the boundary of the two barangays who plant banana and coconut would also benefit since their products can just be collected along the road.

For Aguilar, the FMR would be a great relief to farmers in their area who used to wait for two hours for their produce to be picked up due to the poor road conditions.

“With this new road, we can easily transport it to markets or vehicles can now even go door-to-door to collect our produce,” she said.

Barangay leaders have also passed ordinances to ensure that the concreted roads will be maintained such as disallowing heavy trucks to pass during rainy days. (Jay M. Rosas/PRDP Mindanao)

Villagers in Agusan del Sur take active role in monitoring PRDP infra projects W

PRDP personnel, LGU engineer, contractor and local residents actively join the monitoring of the ongoing concreting of Tag-Anahaw-San Isidro farm-to-market road (FMR) in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. The project

has pegged an accomplishment of 16 percent. Barangay officials and villagers have taken active role in the monitoring of PRDP infrastructure projects, which are mostly FMRs. (Photo by Gian Enrique)

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAO

6 ECONOMY

7-Eleven operator sets P3.5-B capex for 2016

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HILIPPINE Seven Corporation (PSC), the local licensee of 7-Eleven Convenience Stores, is increasing its capital expenditures (capex) budget to PHP3.5 billion this year after its profit surged 32.5 percent in the first half on the back of election-related spending.

PSC told the local bourse its net income reached PHP472.3 million in January to June quarter from last year’s PHP356.83 million.

For the second quarter alone, its profit rose by 19 percent to PHP290 million from PHP243.6 million last year.

The company said bulk of this year’s capex budget is allocated to new store opening, store renovation and equipment acquisition.

It is optimistic about the market’s continued growth while competition is likely to be more intense.

PSC aims to capitalize on its first-mover advantage and intends to benefit from the capacity-building expenditures over the last three years.

Retail sales of all stores totaled to PHP15.5 billion in the first semester, up by 27.2 percent.

The number of operating stores rose by 23.8 percent or by 335 stores.

Store count by the end of June 30 reached 1,740. There are 1,474 7-Eleven stores in Luzon, 203 in Visayas and 63 in Mindanao.

Franchisees control 57 percent of total while 43 percent are corporate stores. (PNA)

Private sector to shoulder cost of Miss U hosting

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HE private sector has agreed to shoulder the production costs of potential hosting of the forthcoming Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines next year, the Department of Tourism said on Monday.

Tourism Sec. Wanda Corazon Teo made this announcement in a press conference after her meeting with reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach at the DOT headquarters in Makati City.

The DOT earlier said that President Rodrigo Duterte has so far “approved in principle” the hosting of the Miss Universe pageant in the country but the agency has yet to confirm with the Miss Universe Organization.

“We are really hopeful that the President will grant our request, especially now that the private sector have come together to shoulder the production costs of Miss Universe,” Teo said in her speech.

“This undertaking would practically entail no expense on the part of the government,” she added noting that the event would give a big boost to businesses and livelihood of millions of Filipinos.

Teo said that she was “overwhelmed” by the presence of the reigning Miss Universe, stressing that it was she who had “taken up the cudgels and leadership to make this happen.”

“If this translates to reality, our tourism industry stands to

gain tremendously,” Teo said.

“I’m so proud and grateful of the full support she is giving us in our efforts to host the upcoming Miss Universe contest in the country,” she added.

Wurtzbach, for her part, said that she was “happy to be back home” since her last visit to the Philippines was during the coronation night of the Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) pageant last April.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to be ambassador for the Philippines and to promote tourism. I still continue on pursing that goal of being an ambassador as I go throughout my reign and visit different countries around the world,” Wurtzbach said.

“It’s no secret that it’s my personal dream and the dream of majority of Filipinos that someday we’ll see the Miss Universe (pageant) to be held here and we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” she added.

The beauty queen meanwhile said that even after the next Miss Universe is crowned, her duty to promote the Philippines will not end there.

“It doesn’t end when I pass up my crown. I will still wear the Philippines wherever I go,” she said.

Wurtzbach, who arrived in the Philippines last Saturday (July 16), is set to meet Pres. Duterte in Malacañang to discuss the possible hosting of the pageant in the country.

(PNA)

DCCCII opposes proposed wage hike in agri sector

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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crc@edgedavao.net

HE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII), representing employers and management in Davao City, expressed opposition to the P163 across-the-board daily wage increase proposed by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) for Davao Region, saying it is “unsustainable.”

Signed by DCCCII chairman John Gaisano and President Bonifacio Tan, the group said businesses in the region, mostly in the agriculture, are still yet to recover from the devastation caused by the long drought.

“The drought has resulted in millions of pesos in damage to agriculture, wherein many farmlands in Davao City were not irrigated for several months,” the DCCCII said in the position paper submitted to the Regional Tripartite

N

EWLY appointed Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago is planning to acquire more vessel tracking equipment in efforts to improve port traffic management capability.

The new vessel tracking equipment will be utilized in identifying and locating ships by electronically exchanging data with other nearby craft.

Earlier, Santiago said ensuring the safety and well-being of all people using its passenger terminal buildings (PTBs) is among the PPA’s priorities.

Aside from this, Santiago also ordered stricter observation of all safety protocols in all PTBs. Also, plans are afoot to acquire more baggage scanning and walk-through equipment to further improve security in PTBs. An audit of every safety measures in all PTBs will be implemented to ensure the safety of everyone using the facilities, he added.

The PPA is a government owned corporation responsible for financing, management and operations of public ports throughout the country. (PNA)

Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) during a meeting last Friday.

The DCCIII added that “an increase of the minimum wage at this time is inappropriate and untimely most especially to the agribusiness sector.”

At present, workers in the agriculture sector are earning P307 daily wage, including the P5 COLA (Coast-of-living adjustment), while those in the non-agriculture sector are taking home P317 daily wage.

“Instead, it is submitted that the government should help the agriculture sector, and all the other sectors that suffered the El Niño directly or consequently, to reestablish themselves into viability,” the chamber added.

The group also sees a decrease in banana exportation to China following the United Nations Convention on the

MILITANTS ON MANILAKBAYAN. GABRIELA’s Bai Ali Indayla (left), together with Kilusang Mayo Uno’ Carlo Olalo, announces various progressive groups’ Manilakbayan activity to show support to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 and

Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruling “which may result to the tightening of demand from China for the Banana Industry.’

“Market prices are to be expected to further drop, and banana companies who are one of the major employment generating sectors, may experience significant losses this year,” the chamber said.

The DCCCII said other allied industries of the banana sector will suffer, including agri-suppliers, the fertilizer and chemical companies, logistics distributors and packaging companies, who “will also be affected from losses and possible non-payment from their customers.”

The business sector said the wage increase will make job generation more expensive.

“Instead of making a motuproprio examination of the

wage schedule in the Region, government should help the business sector maintain its cost of production and promote greater efficiency and productivity, he added.

Meanwhile, the progressive group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) supported the proposed across-all-board wage increase.

“It’s timely to adjust the worker’s daily wage to improve their lives,” KMU spokesperson Carlo Olalo said in a separate interview yesterday at the sidelines of the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.

Olalo said KMU is pushing for the elimination of regionalized wage rate.

“We must have a uniform national wage rate,” he said, adding each workers should receive at least P16,000 monthly salary to give his/ her family a decent life.

to have the government heard their 15-point agenda which includes the immediate action against contractualization and “Oplan Bayanihan.” The group left Davao City yesterday afternoon and will be joined by at least 3,000 members from other cities and provinces of Mindanao. Lean Daval Jr.

Direction of Phl-Vietnam relations bared

W PPA planning to acquire more vessel tracking equipment

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

ITH mutual trust and confidence serving as cornerstone of the Philippines-Vietnam diplomatic relations over the past forty years, what lies ahead in the future relationship of the two countries in the coming years?

In an interview, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Truong Trieu Duong provided his own outlook as the Philippines and Vietnam enter a new phase, while briefly describing the healthy relations the two countries enjoyed for four decades.

“The relations between Vietnam and the Philippines over the past 40 years can be described as wonderful, firm, friendly and consistent,” said the Ambassador, noting that the relationship was based on mutual trust and respect. ”In the future, it will be

further more consolidated and there are still rooms for us to develop, to improve. I will try my best to help consolidate wonderful relations, as well as a very, very promising cooperation between our two countries,” he added.

So far, there are nearly 30 bilateral agreements signed since the establishment of relations on July 12, 1976, he noted.

Ambassador Duong detailed that the two countries committed to increasing the frequency and diversifying the modes of bilateral exchanges at all levels, including political parties, heads of state, government, departments/ ministries and other national agencies.

Meanwhile, in the field of defense and security, he stressed that capacity-building activities should be con-

ducted, saying that “there should be more military exercises that the two countries can do together”.

For economic cooperation, the Vietnamese envoy expects to increase trade volume by more than USD6 billion by 2021 from USD3 billion last year.

“The trade volume between our two countries right now is about USD3 billion already. That’s quite high, but still we can do more than that in the very near future. And we expect that within five years, our trade volume will be more than USD6 billion,” he said.

The two countries will also convene the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Commission on Trade (JCT) and reactivate Vietnam-Philippines Business Council to explore ways in enhancing economic cooperation by creating mutually

favorable conditions in trade of agricultural and non-agricultural products.

In socio-cultural and other cooperation, two sides will work toward the conclusion of an agreement to open up programs for exchanges of students, researchers, trainers, faculties, and other experts in technical and vocational education.

Furthermore, both sides will also allow the pursuit of accreditation and mutual recognition of education and academic qualifications. ”In the field of education, the Philippines can become a very, very favorable country for Vietnam, especially for students to come and study in the Philippines,” said Duong, highlighting that the Philippines has a good educational system especially in English training.

(PNA)

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Villar-owned Golden Haven firm embarks on aggressive expansion

L

ISTED Villar-owned Golden Haven Memorial Park Inc. is embarking on an aggressive expansion nationwide as it aims to undertake a follow-on offering of its shares of stock in three to five years.

Golden Haven controlling shareholder Manuel B. Villar said the death care services firm targets to put up seven new memorial parks a year to expand its presence in 50 cities and municipalities.

Villar said they expect to have 14 memorial parks before the end of the year.

“We have one in Zamboanga, in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Iloilo, in Bulacan, Cavite, Las Piñas, Pampanga, and Nueva Vizcaya,” he told reporters.

Likewise, Villar said the firm will be opening its first funeral chapel in its Las Piñas branch with the aim of having chapels in all of their memorial parks nationwide as a complementary service.

Golden Haven has also opened a crematorium in Cavite and Villar said since it is again a new business segment, they will start slowly but eventually speed up its expansion nationwide.

The company is engaged in five segments of the death care industry -- memorial park, columbarium, chapel, crematorium and keepsakes like the urn and caskets.

It is also looking to expand into pre-need planning services.

The company, an affiliate of property developer Vista Land with presence in 97 cities and municipalities across the country, currently has presence in eight locations and has existing inventory with PHP1.5 billion sales value.

Golden Haven, the first company to go public this year, debuted at the local bourse last month.

It is the first death care company listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange. (PNA)

Forum to prepare EAGA workforce for global arena

M

ORE than 100 participants from the Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) convened here Monday for a forum aimed to develop a more globally competitive workforce for the sub-region.

Dubbed as the 1st BIMP-EAGA Technical, Vocational, Education, and Training (TVET) Forum, the international event gathered a pool of experts from the human resource industry and key government officials as they mapped out possible strategies designed to further strengthen technical knowledge and skills training among the sub-region’s workers.

Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority, said the event is crucial in elevating the level of human resource development currently existing in the BIMP-EAGA, especially with respect to the increasing demand for more skilled workers that can compete in a global scale.

“With the enabling policies in place within BIMP-EAGA and the ASEAN, such as the Mutual Recognition Arrangements for the services sector, this forum will provide us with the venue for the discussion of strategies in producing more internationally accredited workforce who will form part as the backbone of the sub-region’s skilled human resource,” Antonino said.

The conduct of the forum was finalized during the BIMP-EAGA Strategic Planning Meeting in

February this year, through EAGA’s Socio-Cultural and Education (SCE) pillar.

Formally established in 2014, the SCE was pushed by the Philippines to specifically promote a “people-centered” regional cooperation within BIMP-EAGA through opportunities that can enhance the innate skills of the working force.

Aside from convening experts across BIMP-EAGA, the forum is also aimed to facilitate the adoption of “incubation centers of best practices” for specific industries that a member country espouses as “information hubs” that can be easily accessed by everyone. The Philippines has been identified as an incubation center for agri-based industries.

Antonino said the event is a great way to strengthen partnerships among BIMP-EAGA member countries, particularly in generating employment opportunities.

“This is also a good avenue for us to align our initiatives with the overall goals of BIMP-EAGA as a sub-economic cooperation.

While accelerated trade among member countries is still the primary vision of BIMP-EAGA, partnerships in jobs creation can also flourish within the sub-region through this initiative,” she added.

The 1st BIMP-EAGA TVET Forum will run from July 18 to 19, 2016 at the Regional Training Center, Korea-Philippines Vocational Training Center (RTCKPVTC), Tibungco here in this city.

BSP DAVAO TURNS 51. Boy Scout of the Philippines Davao City council’s Dante Simangan (left) and council scout executive Dominador Lopez say although the Boy Scout of the Philippines’ membership increased from 69,000 to 93,000 nationwide, it still is a small number so they are urging parents to let their

ECONOMY 7

children join the organization. The two gentlemen promoted the upcoming 51st founding anniversary of BSP-Davao City council and the lined up activities during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

NGCP announces improved Mindanao power situation

By CHENEEN R. CAPON crc@edgedavao.net

M

INDANAO power situation improved in the past few days following the completion of the scheduled maintenance work on the 130-megawatt (MW) Unit Number Two of the Aboitized-owned coalfired power plant of Therma South Inc. (TSI) Thursday last week, after almost a monthlong maintenance shutdown.

As of yesterday, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) recorded a 104-mw power surplus in the Mindanao grid, with a total of 1, 490MW power de-

mand.

“The maintenance activities were completed four days ahead of our self-imposed deadline of July 18,” said TSI president and COO Sebastian R. Lacson said in a press statement yesterday.

Lacson said maintenance shutdown is “critical in ensuring the long-term operational reliability and efficiency of Therma South, to ensure that it delivers the needed baseload power to its customers all over Mindanao.”

Earlier this year, Therma South announced the four-

week planned shutdown of Unit 2MW starting June 18 2016.

“We thank our customers and stakeholders for understanding this necessity,” Lacson added.

Since commercial operations last February 2 2016, Therma South delivers reliable, dependable and cost-effective baseload power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Mindanao, he said.

Bulk of the 260-MW net capacity of coal-fired power plant, that is 100MW, is con-

tracted by the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC), while the rest are delivered to different distribution utilities and electric cooperatives operating in different parts of Mindanao.

Serving a significant portion of the power supply of Davao City, distribution utility Davao Light and Power Company currently has a contracted capacity of 100 MW from Therma South.

Meanwhile, TSI is targeting to implement the maintenance shutdown of the first unit later this year.

HE Regional Development Council in Davao region (RDC11) passed a resolution last month approving the inclusion of the Region’s Priority Industry Clusters’ participation in global value chain (GVCs), in its development agenda.

Based on the RDC 11 Resolution No. 44, series of 2016, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)11 will spear-

head the assessment of the industry clusters’ readiness towards participation to the GVCs. “Integration in global value chains is a powerful driver of growth and productivity and leads to increased job creation through access to networks; global markets; capital; knowledge and technology,” the Council said in the resolution signed by RDC chair Rodolfo del Rosario

The council described GVCs as “all the activities that firms engage in, domestically or abroad, to bring a product to the market, from conception to final use; and it enables firms to become more efficient and benefit from economies of scale and scope.”

The council believed that this effort will integrate the participation of the micro, small and medium enterpris-

es (MSME) to the global market, leading to the creation of strong regional economies.

The council has identified the “Industry Clustering Strategy as the Region’s main platform for accelerating agri-industrialization; developing the manufacturing subsector and seizing opportunities of ASEAN Economic Community Integration, especially for the Region’s MSMEs.” CHENEEN R. CAPON

Data from the DOT showed that China is the third top tourism market with 285,348 visitors or a share of 11.33 percent of the 2.51-million foreign tourists that visited the Philippines from January to May 2016.

China also posted the highest tourism growth of 80.79 percent.

DOT Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo earlier said that she plans to sustain tourism numbers by introducing new tourist destinations, partic-

ularly in Mindanao, and by strengthening tourism promotions.

Reports said that tourism players are currently bracing for the possible decrease in Chinese tourist arrivals in the Philippines after the ruling and expressed hope that Chinese tourists will not cancel bookings.

On July 12, the tribunal handed down its decision on the case which invalidated China’s claim over its “historic rights” to the disputed waters,

stressing that its ‘Nine-DashLine’ claim has no legal basis.

The ruling also noted that China violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by meddling with Philippine fishing and oil exploration in the region.

This resulted in the illegal entry of Chinese fishermen into the disputed waters and caused harm to marine environment in the region through its massive reclamation activities. (PNA)

RDC okays Davao region’s inclusion in GVCs T It’s too early to predict impact of sea ruling on Chinese tourists

Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Luwalhati Antonino (right) receives a plaque of recognition from Technical Education Skills Development Authority Region XI Director Gaspar Gayona during the 1st BIMP-EAGA TVET Forum, held at the Regional Training Center – Korea-Philippines Vocational Training Center in Davao City. The forum is designed to further strengthen technical knowledge and skills training among the sub-regions skilled workers. (MinDA)

T

HE Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Sunday that it is too early to predict if the recent United Nations arbitral court ruling on the West Philippine Sea territorial row will have any effect on Chinese tourist arrivals to the Philippines.

“It is early for us to tell as there are no moves yet from both sides,” DOT Assistant Secretary for Tourism Development Planning Rolando ‘Alan’ Cañizal said in a text message to reporters.

8 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

EDITORIAL The Digong Effect

R

EAL estate developers are having a field day in sales in the last two months after Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the presidential elections.

Already experiencing a boom in the property construction industry, Davao City realtors and property managers agree that the market is indeed turning heir heads on the direction of this bustling southern metropolis which is now the benchmark of governance.

From condominium units to subdivision homes, sales are brisk after Davao Mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte won the elections.

“The demand is rising and we have to cope with it by

EDGEDAVAO

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building fast,” one project manager of a well-known real estate development firm admitted.

Another positive effect of the Duterte presidency is the tourist arrivals to the city even during off season.

This prompted the regional office of the Department of Tourism to come up with a unique tour known as the Duterte Tour where tourists are taken to the Davao City Hall, Duterte’s house, and even his favorite carenderia.

At the moment, Duterte has made true his promise of spending his weekends in Davao City.

His frequent travels here will also create more commercial flights to the city as well as open new international direct flights.

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VANTAGE POINTS

9

Arbitration ruling raises investor confidence

OR the first time this year, the index numbers at the Philippine Stock Exchange rose more than the 7,800 points level Friday last week following the favourable decision handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the contested West Philippine Sea maritime issue.

There is unmistakably a new era of confidence in the air. The SWS trust survey ratings of President Duterte in his first 7 days in office showed that the Filipinos are fully supportive of his campaign against illegal-drugs, criminality and corruption.

Many observers, legal eagles, businessmen, the academe and the agricultural sector believe that the PCA ruling gives the Philippine government a position of strength in the WPS controversy.

China has been belligerent and arrogant, refusing to participate in the proceedings at The Hague, stating it will not recognize the PCA decision. It has been urging the Duterte administration to proceed to a bilateral negotiation instead.

It is good that the Chief Executive is not rushing head long into the contentious problem, opting to employ diplomatic language as Pres. Digong nominated ex-Pres.

Fidel V. Ramos as the country’s special en-

I

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

T is but necessary to start this piece with this interesting quote from Sandra Postel and Amy Vickers: “In this morning’s cup of coffee and this evening’s sip of tea reside molecules of water that have cycled through Earth’s atmosphere thousands upon thousands of times. Liquid water has been on Earth for at least 3 billion years, circulating between the sea, air, and land. Powered by the sun, this cycling creates an illusion of plenty: fresh water seems limitless because it falls from the sky year after year.”

Indeed, it’s an illusion. The two authors wrote: “Water tables are falling from overpumping of groundwater… Many streams and rivers now run dry for portions of the year. Large inland lakes have shrunk to shadows of their former dimensions.

Worldwide, freshwater wetlands -- ecosystems that do a remarkable job of purifying water -- have diminished in area by about half.”

Postel is the director of the Global Water Policy Project based in Amherst, Massachusetts while Vickers is the award-winning author of “Handbook of Water Use and Conservation: Homes, Landscapes, Businesses, Industries, Farms.”

“Unlike copper, oil, and most other commodities, fresh water is not just a resource that acquires value only when it is extracted and put to human use. Most fundamentally, fresh water is a life support,” Poste and Vickers wrote.

During his time, historian Thomas Fuller declared: “We only learn the value of a glass of water when the well runs dry.”

I am sure no one will debate with Fuller now (if someone did have when he was still alive). As Father Dave Domingues pointed out in his editorial in a recent issue of “World Mission,” “(Fuller’s) statement captures, in

voy to China.

SPECKS OF LIFE While he did not yet accept nor deny the designation, the public must be reminded that FVR is considered an icon in Fred C. Lumba international diplomacy, having travelled – and is continuously travelling – to countries abroad to deliver speeches of consequence as an international resource person in many fora.

The calmness and sobriety of Pres. Digong contrast his tough-talking style during the presidential campaign that bewitched the Filipino electorate. While there are sectors emboldened by the favourable PCA decision to immediately re-claim the Scarborough shoals and other islands occupied

by China, there are also cooler heads who believe civility must prevail.

Let us accept the harsh truth that we cannot defeat China militarily. Meaning,

we cannot afford to go to war and send our soldiers to fight and die against a giant enemy. Besides, in this modern era, why should we consider China as an enemy if there is a better option to turn things around?

Filipinos waited patiently and endured the brutal Spanish colonization for four hundred years before patriots like Rizal, Bonifacio, Luna and Mabini rose up to lead their countrymen to independence.

Why should we now – under the new Duterte government – impulsively plunge the country into war we cannot win militarily? Isn’t this plain quixotic?

As the world watches and the international pressure continues to gather against the Chinese snobbishness, we can use the four hundred-year Spanish experience as a gauge to measure the country’s adaptability to the new circumstances which, undeniably, tests our political maturity as a nation.

We cannot always depend on our traditional allies to fight our battles which, though not of our own making, are still ours to fight and die for.

Let us seek to navigate the wider areas of our international relations by carving our own diplomatic tact and strategy based, not on the dictates of our allies, but mainly on

how our bilateral relations are affected by the other country.

If war is not an option, then definitely the civilized manner is to dialogue with the other party in search of a win-win solution.

Gone are the days when a man-to-man duel is resorted to in determining who wins the dispute or his lady love; gone, too, are the days of yore when knights in shining armor challenge the best from the other camp to decide the champion of the realm.

Let us consider China’s urgings at bilateral attempts as a most civil and formal manner to settle the WPS question. Give these overtures serious time to study our options without disregarding the consequences that are thought to be adverse in the course of international commerce, trade and travel.

While the RP-US Defense Pact gives us something to depend on at times like this, it is not a solid agreement we can run to when we find ourselves against the wall.

Let’s not say “we are sorry” after the fact if we can avoid saying it.

Give Pres. Digong our total national support for his own enlightenment and guidance. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) God bless the Philippines!

a nutshell, the THINK ON THESE! experience of many people in the world today who only value the simple things in life when they can no longer have them. And failure to value simple com- Henrylito D. Tacio modities, such henrytacio@gmail.com as fresh water, usually leads us to a wasteful use of it -- unconscious that water is life!”

Earth is a water world as water covers 71% of the world’s total surface. This represents a volume of 1,400 million cubic kilometers, according to United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Ninety-seven point five percent is too salty to be consumed or used for industrial or agricultural purposes. Fresh water represents 2.5% of the water total.

“Water is the most precious asset on Earth,” points out Postel. “It is the basis of life.” She believes water problems will be right there with climate change as a threat to the human future.

“Although the two are related, water has no substitutes,” Postel says. “We can transition away from coal and oil to solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.

But there is no transitioning away from water to something else.”

Without water, there is no food. After all, 70% of global water use is accounted for by agriculture. About 20% goes to industry.

And the remaining 10% is being used by households (for drinking, cooking, washing

clothes, bathing, etc.).

The Philippines was one of the countries identified by a recent report released

by World Resources Institute (WRI) to experience water stress. It is defined as “the ratio between total water withdrawals and available renewable surface water at a sub-catchment level.”

Of the 161 countries surveyed by the American think tank, the Philippines was ranked 57th under the “business-as-usual” scenario. The country got a score of 3.01 which, according to the study’s water stress threshold levels, is “high.” The ratio of withdrawals to available water is 40-80%.

The study went further, predicting the degree of water shortage for 3 specific sectors: industrial, domestic, and agricultural.

Agriculture got the highest score of 3.26, followed by industrial sector (2.96) and domestic use (2.92). The last two sectors were classified under the “medium to high,” which means the ratio of withdrawals to available water is 20-40%.

While there is still enough water for every Filipinos these days, the water scarcity will be felt by 2040 -- that’s 25 years from now. “These country-level water stress projections are intended to provide useful information about potential future water situations that can help drive improved water management at the international scale,” notes the WRI study.

In the past, water was considered an infinite resource. This thinking was exemplified by Adam Smith who pointed out in his classic work --The Wealth of Nations -- that unlimited supply of fresh water explained why it cost nothing, even though it was vital to all life.

But it’s not the case anymore. “Unlike the energy crisis, the water crisis is

life threatening. The level of suffering and misery is almost beyond comprehension,” deplored Klaus Toefer when he was still the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program.

“The necessary sense of urgency is lacking,” said the New York-based United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in a statement. “The facts have been staring us in the face for years. While demand increases, the annual available fresh water supply per inhabitant is regularly decreasing and is expected to fall to an average 4,800 cubic meters by the year 2025 against 7,300 cubic meters in 1995.”

Davao City doesn’t have that too many people but some residents will soon be experiencing without water. “Davao City will soon be running short of supply of potable water if the Davao City Water District won’t be able to find a new source in the next three years as the demand continue to increase due to rapid growth in population,” wrote our roving reporter Cheneen R. Capon in her recent news report.

She quoted Atty. Bernardo Delima, Jr., the DCWD official spokesperson, as saying: “There’s a necessity to look for another source of water.” Every month, the number of new customers increased an average of 2,000.

“Water demand in the city is expected to reach 117 million cubic meters three years for now, higher than the 112 million cubic meters annual requirement of the city,” Capon wrote.

Water is fundamental for life and health.

“The human right to water is indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity,” the UN Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights said. “It is a pre-requisite to the realization of all other human rights.”

When the wells run dry

10 NEWS Dengue... FROM 1

“There is really a need for us to intensify our campaign against dengue,” she said.

Ebol said that the DOH regional office is likewise intensifying its education campaign that seeks to inform the public on the dangers of dengue and how it can be prevented.

She added that the DOH has purchased P18 million worth of insecticide-treated nets that will be distributed throughout the region.

Ebol said that the DOH has partnered with other concerned government line agencies such as the Departments of Education (DepED), Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure the success of its anti-dengue campaign.

The DOH also added that rise in dengue cases usually occur every July that can be attributed to the rainfall pattern in the region.

The agency also criticized environmental sanitation and the poor implementation of

Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) in villages.

Ebol also cited Administrative Order No. 267 issued by the late DILG secretary Jesse Robredo mandating the exercise of supervision directly over the provinces, municipalities and barangays in dengue prevention.

The order also defined the prevention of dengue as a community based program that starts with every family working closely with the barangay in learning and destroying breeding grounds of mosquitos every week.

Ebol said intensifying the dissemination of information down to barangays is the main prevention the government is trying to implement to fight denuge.

She said the city’s team on dengue prevention is working 24/7 to provide and impart knowledge in different barangays and even in public elementary schools within the region. (With report from Janine Escudero/Intern)

schools to encourage the young ones to join the BSP. He said they are also planning to write President Duterte to encourage him to make scouting a free activity in the country.

Lopez said BSP is collect-

ing P50 per child who wishes to join the movement.

“Scouting is not just a basic activity in our schools. It is also one of the best avenues to make our children good and productive citizen of our country”, he added.

Algabre is the secretary of Parent-Teachers Association of the Salugpungan School in the area while Diarog is the vice-chairperson of the Kahugpungan sa Lumad (Organization of Indigenous People) and the tribal chieftain of Sitio Kahusayan.

“It is disheartening to note that violence has once again victimized lumads in Davao.

Both victims belong to the Bagobo Klata tribe,” the vice mayor added.

Duterte also extended condolences to the family of Alegre, especially to his 3 children, saying “My prayers and thoughts are with you in this difficult time and moment of sorrow.”

While the probe is being facilitated by authorities,

Duterte also called for sobriety and calm.

“Refrain from blaming certain individuals or groups or making speculations as these might only stir up more distrust and tension,” Duterte said.

He also asked for the cooperation of everyone concerned and assured that authorities will do everything to bring justice to the victims.

Alegre is the second tribal leader in the month of July in Davao region.

Last July 7, Datu Ruben Labawan, a tribal leader from Paquibato District, Davao City was also gunned down in Panabo City.

The New People’s Army (NPA) owned the killing of Labawan.

were distributed in some parts of Cotabato and Davao.

The Philpost-Eastern Mindanao requested a printer to expedite the issuance of the new ID. At present, he said, all the printing process are centralized, making it longer to print.

“We will have the printer within this year,” he added.

This will cut down the monthlong processing to three to five

days.

Obelidhon said Philpost have had also coordinated with banks and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to include postal IDs as one of the primary requirements in any banking transactions and securing of permits, respectively.

“It will be hard to imitate the new postal IDs because of the new features,” he added.

lotted for the celebration was around P15 million. Boncated noted that this year’s budget is yet being finalized.

“Since nabawasan na rin ang ating mga activities, the budget will also be lowered,” he said.

The initial official events for the Kadayawan are the Subang Sinugdanan, Panagtagbo, Hiyas sa Kadayawan, Indak-indak sa Kadalanan, Floral Float Parade and the Pahalipay Concert, according to Boncato.

(CIO)

Davao Boy... FROM 2

Pulong... FROM 3

Philpost... FROM 3

City execom... FROM 3

EDGEDAVAO

WAR ON TRAFFICKING. Child Alert Mindanao executive director Bernardo Mondragon (right) and Talikala executive director Jeanette Ampog promote the upcoming Day against Trafficking of Persons dubbed Blue

More... FROM 2

sent to these places to do illegal activities such as stealing and selling drugs,” said Bernardo Mondragon of Child Alert.

He added that there are also cases where trafficked

children are sent to other parts in Mindanao and forced to work in mining sites. (By Sonny L. Mendoza with report from Carmela Foronda/ Intern)

Tay, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Davao Doctors Hospital, who enumerated some factors on why teenage girls are most likely to get pregnant: “if they are living together with their boyfriend, they are out of school, their parents are separated or one is overseas, they engage in sex at a young age and/or if they use condoms improperly.”

On the latter, Dr. Tay pointed out that “the risk of teen pregnancy increases 11.6 times with the use of condoms.” As such, she believes “sexual abstinence” as “the more effective and rightful solution.”

In premature sex, pregnancy is not the only risk. There is also the peril of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, which can result in chronic infection, infertility or, in the case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), death.

According to the Geneva-based World Health Organization, teenagers who get pregnant below 16 years of age are more likely to die from child birth. This happens because the mother and the baby are not screened well or didn’t undergo pre-natal care check-

up.

Teenage... FROM 12

Engaging in adolescent sex can also be physically damaging for the female, according to Dr. Lyra Ruth Clemente-Chua, chair of the women’s advocacy committee of the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecologic Society. “The nature of the teenager’s cervix is that at this stage its cells are not yet well-protected, thus sex can mean exposing the cervix to traumas.”

And now the good news: The “Business Mirror” recently reported that the Duterte administration intends to increase its investment on reproductive health to more than P2 billion a year.

“I think, in the past, about P2 billion has been allocated in the budget. But, I think, we probably need more,” National Economic and Development Authority Director General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia was quoted as saying. “President Duterte himself is an advocate of family planning. I’m sure he will be willing to increase that budget to make sure access to family-planning services will be available to all those who want the services.”

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Heart campaign set on July 30 in various locations in Davao City which aims to spread awareness. Mondragon and Ampog faced the press in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

DOH... FROM 2

among various stakeholders for programs serving families with pregnant mothers and children less than two years old.

Early this month, the DOH launched its National Nutrition Council Early Childhood Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Petition for Approval of Sale and Transfer of Unit with Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a PUJ-DUAL Ordinary Regular Service.

Case No. 2016-XI-00982 (2002-XI-00153)

JUNITA M. SERVIÑO, Petitioner-Vendor

MARISSA S. MALALIS, Petitioner-Vendee

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING Petitioners request authority for the Approval of Sale and Transfer executed by JUNITA M. SERVIÑO in favor of MARISSA S. MALALIS of a Certificate of Public Convenience with Equipment issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ–DUAL Ordinary Regular service on the route: TAGURANO and for cargoes as dual service from said route to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on April 18, 2017. In the same petition filed on July 7, 2016, petitioners likewise request to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on AUGUST 2, 2016 at 09:00 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional Director, this 8th day of July 2016 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑAYÑIGUEZ Chief Transportation Development Officer

Care and Development Intervention Package for the First 1000 Days Program.

The package includes services on nutrition, health, early learning and social services for pregnant women and children below two years old. (PNA) Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No. XI Davao City

Application for Change Party Applicant with Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Approval of Sale & Transfer to operate an Airconditioned Taxi Service.

Case No. 2016-XI-00986 (2013-XI-00104)

JAY ANGELIQUE J. WANG, Represented by Trevor Autry J. Hipolito as substitute petitionervendor BASHARY USMAN IBRAHIM, Petitioner-Vendee x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING JAY ANGELIQUE J. WANG was a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in Case No. 2013XI-00104 authorizing the operation of an AIRCONDITIONED TAXI Service on the route: WITHIN DAVAO CITY to any point in Region XI with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on December 31, 2016.

In the petition filed on July 7, 2016, petitioner requests authority to change the party in the Certificate of Public Convenience stating that Jay Angelique J. Wang died intestate on April 29, 2016. In the same petition, petitioner likewise requests authority fo r the Approval of Sale and Transfer executed by Trevor Autry J. Hipolito in favor of Bashary Usman Ibrahim and to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this Board on AUGUST 2, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional th Director, this 8 day of July 2016 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Chief Transportation Development Officer

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TRAVEL

EDGEDAVAO

Big 8 Hotel turns four

By Henrylito D. Tacio TAGUM CITY, WHICH HOSTED THE 58TH PALARAONG PAMBANSA LAST YEAR, is the capital city of Davao del Norte.

Although it has no natural tourist attraction, this gold city (as it is known) has a festival or two each month.

The all-year round festivals is one of the reasons why people still go to the city -- despite the fact it is just an hour or so away from Davao City. Visitors who want to come could have fun and enjoy during their stay in the Tagum City.

There are many places to stay in Tagum City but the most popular among them all is the Big 8 Hotel located at the national highway in the Visayan Village. “A very nice place to stay in Tagum,” hailed one recent guest.

Recently, Big 8 Hotel

turned 4 a day after the United States celebrated its Independence Day. The management commemorated the occasion with various activities which kept the hotel busier than usual.

From June to July, the hotel conducted an intercolor sports tournament on basketball, volleyball and table tennis. Two days before the big celebration, the Funt4stic 5K Run was held for all employees and guests.

To make the celebration more colorful, a 10-day fiesta bazaar was staged at

the palm covered area. On July 1, a night of acoustic entertainment and barbe-

There are many places to stay in the Tagum City but the most popular among them all is the Big 8 Hotel located at the national highway in the Visayan Village. cue buffet was done at the poolside. There was a barrio fiesta lunch and dinner buffet at Vilma’s Oriental Cuisine.

On the third of July, a feeding program called

“Big 8 with a Big Heart,” was conducted among the undernourished children at the nearby barangay Visayan Village. Some 72 children participated and were also treated with

a happy gathering filled with games, prizes, loot bags and food.

On the big day, July 5, a Blood Letting presided by the Philippine National Red Cross (Davao del Norte Provincial Chapter) was held at the Palms Rooms. In the afternoon, an anniversary mass was held at the Ballroom C which was attended by all employees, department heads and the owner’s family.

Billy M. Quibod, the president of the BMQ Group of Hotels, Inc. gave a very thought-provoking message after the mass.

He also announced that

Big 8 Hotel A4

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Ballet Philippines lights up stage at SM Lanang Premier

BRINGING TO DAVAO ONE FOREMOST ARTS AND CULTURAL EVENT AFTER ANOTHER, SM Lanang Premier once again presented an exclusive performance of world-class Ballet Philippines (BP) last July 3.

Mallgoers witnessed a spectacular ballet show featuring the country’s flagship professional dance company at The Atrium.

The said show called “BP in Blue” was a fusion of classical ballet and contemporary dance.

Highlights from “Sarong Banggi,” a contemporary ballet performance about the family, were showcased in the first half. Mean-

UP AND ABOUT

National Children’s Book Reading Day slated at SM Supermalls

IN CELEBRATION OF THE NATIONAL CHILDREN’S BOOK READING DAY, SM Supermalls, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Vibal Publishing and National Book Store, will be having a storytelling activity for grade school children. This is to commemorate the publication of Dr. Jose Rizal’s classic, “Ang Pagong at Ang Matsing.”

At SM Lanang Premier, guest storytellers will read books from Vibal Publishing and bring characters into life at a storytelling show to be held on Tuesday, July 19, at the mall Atrium. They will discuss the moral of the story and encourage participating students to make reading a regular habit.

The said activity is part of SM Foundation and SM Cares’ Program for Children, which promotes literacy and encourages the young to cultivate a love for reading at an early age.

Participating students will be given free story books to jumpstart their daily habit of reading.

The National Children’s Book Reading Day is celebrated annually every 3rd Tuesday of July across SM Supermalls in the Philippines as well as in China. It is in line with the company’s corporate social responsibility to make its malls not just childfriendly but also be a venue for learning, where children can learn traditional values and develop their full potential.

For activity and event updates, visit SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You may also visit smsupermalls.com for more information on SM Cares’ Program for Children’s Affairs.

while, a diverse range of Filipino choreography – Alden Lugnasin’s “Bayan Ko,” “Dulce Estranghera,” and key works by young choreographers of Ballet Philippines – was included in the second half of the show.

An interpretation of Eraserheads’ “Ang Huling El Bimbo” and an eclectic solo number featuring modern beats brought a fresh, youthful vibe to BP in Blue.

Fascinating mallgoers, Ballet Philippines gave passionate performances to the music orchestrated by maestro Ryan Cayabyab while garbed up in

alluring costumes by fashion designer Rajo Laurel.

BP is founded in 1969

by National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes with renowned dancer Eddie Elejar. A resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, it is known globally for its repertoire of classical and modern pieces.

BP in Blue was staged by SM Lanang Premier with the support of Air Asia.

Keep up-to-date with the happenings at the region’s premier shopping and lifestyle destination.

Check out SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Airasia continues Skytrax awards winning streak AIRASIA HAS BEEN NAMED THE WORLD’S BEST LOW-COST AIRLINE and Asia’s Best Low-Cost Airline for the eighth year running at the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards held at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Dubbed the “Oscars of the Aviation Industry”, the Skytrax Awards are the global benchmark of airline excellence with over 19 million customer surveys completed worldwide by more than 104 nationalities, measuring standards across 41 key performance indicators of an airline’s frontline products and services.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes and AirAsia Berhad CEO Aireen Omar were present to receive the awards, along with CEOs from AirAsia Group affiliates. AirAsia also flew

in an Airbus A320 with special Skytrax livery to commemorate its eighth straight win in the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline category.

AirAsia is Asia’s largest low-cost carrier by passengers carried and by jet fleet. It comprises shorthaul affiliates AirAsia Berhad (airline code AK), Indonesia AirAsia (QZ), Thai AirAsia (FD), Philippines AirAsia (Z2) and AirAsia India (I5), and long-haul affiliates AirAsia X (D7), Thai AirAsia X (XJ) and Indonesia AirAsia X (XT).

A pioneer in travel and

technology, AirAsia offers a wide range of innovative products such as mobile app, extensive self-service options, inflight wifi, interactive travel guides, premium coffee, scrumptious inflight meals, online duty-free shopping, Premium Flex and FlyThru.

Fly-Thru allows guests to seamlessly connect to anywhere within AirAsia’s wide network with just one stop at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Asia’s low-cost carrier hub – and other transit hubs in Thailand and Indonesia, without having to pass

through immigration and with their baggage checked through to the final destination. AirAsia operates one of the youngest fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft in the world, with an average age of 3 years across all affiliates, with firm orders for over 300 Airbus A320neo deliveries up through 2028.

In addition to its modern fleet, AirAsia boasts an extensive route network to over 100 destinations in Asia Pacific, including some 60 unique routes in the Asean region, and unmatched flight frequencies.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

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Encantadia says ‘avisala’ anew THIS JULY, GMA Network proudly brings back the popular and wellloved telefantasya that changed the landscape of primetime TV with the much awaited requel of Encantadia.

This highly-acclaimed saga won the hearts of Filipinos 11 years ago, and upon its return, the Kapuso Network is all set to bring superior and worldclass entertainment to its loyal Kapuso fans with the retelling of Encantadia.

Back in 2005, the roles of the four Sang’gres were remarkably portrayed

by Iza Calzado, Karylle Tatlonghari, Diana Zubiri and Sunshine Dizon.

And this year, the Kapuso stars who bagged the much-coveted roles of the four Sang’gres are Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Glaiza de Castro.

Holding strong values of forgiveness, acceptance, and responsibility, the requel will tell the story of sisterhood, family, and a great forbidden love that bridges two different worlds—that of humans and the magical world

of Encantadia. n the series, Kylie Padilla is Amihan, the keeper of the gem of air.

She is known for being mature and nurturing as she protects her loved ones no matter what.

Raised by her father in the land of mortals, Amihan learned to be an independent thinker--a characteristic envied by her sisters.

Gabbi Garcia breathes life into the character of Alena, the third among the four, who keeps the water gem. Romantic and carefree, she lives to love and to find that one person who will complete her. She finds that love in Ybarro (Ruru Madrid), a charismatic Barbaro whose past is as

much a mystery to him, as it is to her.

Meanwhile, the fearless and headstrong Danaya, portrayed by Sanya Lopez, is the youngest among the four. She keeps the earth jewel and has an unwavering sense of justice.

Pirena, the keeper of the gem of fire and the eldest of them, is played by Glaiza De Castro. Passionate and outspoken, the fiery young woman wishes to become the next queen of the diwatas. However, she feels neglected by her mother’s decision to choose her sister, Amihan.

At the helm of Encantadia’s requel is

no less than director Mark Reyes.

He shared that the wellplanned preparation of Encantadia’s comeback makes it one of the grandest television series to date. “There’s so much more reasons to watch the show.

Encantadia’s requel is one of the biggest projects in Philippine television. It’s the story that you’re going to get.

Ang naging paghahanda rito—from the costumes to the script to the set hanggang sa graphics, lahat—three times bigger sa unang version.”

Playing special roles are Kapuso Primetime King and Queen Dingdong Dantes

and Marian RiveraDantes as Raquim and Ynang Reyna Minea, respectively.

Completing the stellar cast are John Arcilla as Hagorn, Rocco Nacino as Aquil, Ruru Madrid as Ybarro, Sunshine Dizon as Adhara, Christian Bautista as Apitong, Rochelle Pangilinan as Agane, Vaness del Moral as Gurna, Pancho Magno as Hitano, Buboy Villar as Wantuk, Carlo Gonzalez as Muros, Kate Valdez as Mira, Mikee Quintos as Lira, Starstruck finalist James Teng as Pako,

introducing Starstruck winners Klea Pineda as Muyak and Migo Adecer as Anthony, and Solenn Heussaff as Cassiopea.

Adding glimmer to the powerhouse ensemble are Julia Lee as Alira Naswen, Leandro Baldemor as Dado, Neil Ryan Sese as Asval, Ryan Eigenmann as Berto, Angelu de Leon as Amanda, Ana Feleo as Ades, Roi Vinzon as Arvak, Jestoni Alarcon as Armeo, with special participation of Max Collins as Amihan, the sister of Ynang Reyna Minea.

What is the prophecy that led the queen of Encantadia to bear four children? And will the four princesses be able to find camaraderie in one another to fight for their kingdom as they find unity among themselves?

Catch the enchanting story of Encantadia beginning July 18, Mondays to Fridays on GMA Telebabad and will premiere worldwide on GMA’s flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV.

Catch Kathniel, Jadine’ via free Sky Movie marathons TEEN STARS PROVE THAT LOVE CAN BE FELT EVEN ON CAMPUS as hit Pinoy teen movies “She’s Dating The Gangster,” “Talk Back and Your Dead,” and “First Day High” invade the homes of SKY prepaid subscribers for the whole month of July.

Squeeze in Pinoy teen flicks after studying as the hit KathNiel movie “She’s Dating The Gangster,” a story that follows how campus heartthrob and gangster Kenji (Daniel Padilla) and Athena (Kathryn Bernardo) agree to pretend as lovers to make Kenji’s ex girlfriend jealous.

Adding to the campus ‘kilig’ movies is JaDine’s hit movie “Talk Back and You’re Dead” that revolves around Samantha (Nadine Lustre), a girl who falls in love with hot-headed guy Top (James Reid), the leader of the so-called “Lucky 13” gang and their adventures to make their relationship last forever.

Completing the lineup of the free movie marathon is “First Day High” starring Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Maja Salvador, Geoff

Eigenmann, and Jason Abalos who play college freshmen who all got involved in the biggest mystery that the university has ever encountered.

The free movie screening is available to SKYcable prepaid subscribers in Metro Manila, CAMANAVA/Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, San Jose del Monte Bulacan, Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, General Santos,

and Iloilo. Meanwhile, SKYdirect subscribers can catch all three movies anywhere in the country since signal is transmitted via satellite.

To avail of the free movie marathon, SKYcable prepaid and SKYdirect subscribers should simply have load balance within June. SKYcable prepaid and SKYdirect load may be purchased at SKYZones and SKY business centers, SM Store, Save More, SM Hypermart, Waltermart, Alfamart, Cebuana Lhuillier, Touch Pay (Mini Stop), ULoad, Bayad Center, 7-eleven and ECPAY outlets, Load Central partners (Netopia, USSC, MLhuillier, 1Bro and SST Laptop) and at Load Xtreme.

SKY aims to strengthen the bond of Filipino families nationwide by offering relevant and quality free movies to their prepaid subscribers.

Catch all three teen-oriented movies for free at home beginning July 1 airing back-to-back and commercial-free only on SKYcable prepaid and SKYdirect prepaid subscribers.

July 15-19, 2016

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EDGEDAVAO

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TRAVEL

cializes in Eastern European cuisine and serves brunch, light fare, and drinks. Afternoon tea is offered.

At night, you don’t have to go out to have some fun. All you need to do is go straight to the top, where there’s a lounge and a bar. After listening to a music band, guests can also sing karaoke.

An added bonus: you can see the whole Tagum at night as you can on top of the city.

Big 8 Hotel A1

another Big 8 Hotel (formerly the Durian Hotel) will finally be started next year.

“The future of travel and tourism business is very promising in this part of Davao Region,” says Oliver I. Golosino, the sales and marketing manager of the hotel. “Tagum’s strategic location and accessibility largely contribute to its potential and as the fastest rising medium-sized component city.”

He described Tagum as “the next big thing after Davao City.” “The local government of Tagum has been proactively inviting and attracting local and foreign investors,” Golosino said.

That’s where Big 8 Hotel comes in. “As the very first leisure and standard hotel in this city,” he said, “we like to believe that it serves as catalyst of the growth in Tagum. The hotel’s presence bolsters the campaign of the local government units to lure investors.”

The hotel has the biggest and elegant ballroom in Tagum. It can accommodate about 1,500 people. A guest who attended a wedding of her friend commented: “Great interior with a grand staircase,

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

delicious food, and well decorated hall that looks very elegant and fabulous.

The price was a little bit pricey but was worth it.”

You better stay in the hotel to experience what people are telling about.

“The rooms are clean and the beds are comfortable and the bathrooms are okay,” said one guest. “We really enjoyed the ambiance of the place. The lobby is big and the sofas are tastefully decorated.

There were also high back chairs were you can sit and feel like royalties.”

Don’t worry about foods, too. Cafe Velma, a family restaurant, serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. It specializes on Western and Chinese cuisines. “The restaurant does a good breakfast, Filipino style, and the general standard of the food is excellent,” noted a foreign guest.

A complimentary breakfast is served each morning for those who stay at the hotel for the night. “The buffet breakfast is delicious!” said one guest.

If you have nothing to do during the middle of the day, you can go to the 129 Coffeebreak. It spe-

DAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENT

11 COMPETITIVE EDGE

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Aboitiz Foundation taps T UP unit for coop training

SSS eyes information sharing with PhilHealth for dialysis

T

O further build the capability of its trainers to deliver better quality training, the Aboitiz Foundation, in partnership with the University of the Philippines College of Social Work and Community Development (UP CSWCD) recently conducted a “Training of Trainers” at the Balay Kalinaw Internasyonal in UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Facilitated by the UP CSWCD, the training equipped the trainers with concepts and philosophy of cooperatives and an introduction on training perspectives and principles, with a series of practical learning

activities.

The training was attended by Aboitiz Foundation’s pool of trainers and corporate social responsibility officers from Pilmico Foods Corporation and Davao Light and Power Co., Inc. “The Aboitiz Foundation strongly believes in helping people realize the value of entrepreneurship through its enterprise development program that promotes sustainable livelihood. With skilled and competent trainers ready to take on this challenge, we are certain we will be able to plant the seeds of a #BetterWorld for tomorrow’s generation,” Sonny Carpio,

Aboitiz Foundation Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said.

The Aboitiz Foundation implements various livelihood skills training and capability-building for its partner organizations, in support of microfinance development.

Trainings focus on the competency development of cooperative officers and members to better manage businesses and to ensure efficiency and sustainability of projects.

In 2015, the Aboitiz Group spent P52 million or 13% of its total budget for enterprise development initiatives. Since 1988, the Aboitiz Foundation has granted 493

loan packages worth P164 million, with the loans having a near-perfect average collection efficiency (96%).

Last February, the Aboitiz Foundation allotted an initial P28 million donation to Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), Inc. for the implementation of the former’s microfinance program. Under the partnership agreement, CARD will manage current loans amounting to P18 million from release to collection, while the additional P10 million was used to establish two recently-opened microfinance loan units in Tiwi, Albay and Calinan, Davao City.

Therma South bares early completion of scheduled maintenance works T HERMA South Unit 2 (130 MW net) completed its maintenance works ahead of schedule and was back on line in the afternoon of Thursday, July 14 2016.

“The maintenance activities were completed four days ahead of our self-imposed deadline of July 18,”

said Therma South president and COO Sebastian R. Lacson.

These activities are critical in ensuring the long-term operational reliability and efficiency of Therma South, to ensure that it delivers needed baseload power to its customers all over Mindanao.

Earlier this year, Therma South announced the four-

week planned shutdown of Unit 2MW starting June 18 2016.

“We thank our customers and stakeholders for understanding this necessity,” Lacson added.

Since commercial operations last February 2 2016, Therma South delivers reliable, dependable and

cost-effective baseload power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Mindanao.

Serving a significant portion of the power supply of Davao City, distribution utility Davao Light and Power Company currently has a contracted capacity of 100 MW from Therma South.

LOBE Telecom took exception to the statement of the Internet Society-Philippines ISOC that the telcos particularly Globe Telecom are blocking the Philippine Competition Commission to perform its mandate of promoting fair market competition when it filed the Petition for Certiorari with the Court of Appeals, asking the latter to restrain the PCC from further reviewing the sale and purchase of assets of Vega Telecom from San Miguel.

The multi-billion joint buy-out deal gave Globe access to half of San Miguel’s telecommunication assets.

Globe General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo stressed the company supports the PCC’s mandate of ensuring fair and healthy market competition and promoting economic efficiency. “We are not in any way blocking the PCC from performing its mandate.

In fact, we repeatedly invited the PCC to exercise its plenary powers under Section 12 of the Competition Act to investigate the conduct and behavior of the companies on this transaction for possible violations of the Act. Globe has consistently relayed to the PCC its willingness to submit to this investigation, and Globe is confident that all its actions pertaining to this transaction are all legal and above-board as certified by its legal counsels,” he said.

“With respect to the transaction itself however, Memorandum Circular 201602 of the PCC is very clear the transaction is no longer reviewable as the same was ‘deemed approved’ under its provisions,” he said. The same memorandum circular states that it shall enjoy the benefit of Section 23 of the Philippine Competition Act, and therefore cannot be challenged under that law. The

parties should abide by this provision, including the PCC, which is expected to uphold its own rules and the Philippine Competition Act. Globe has followed to the letter the rules of the PCC, and the same should be appreciated by the PCC, he added.

Castelo advises the ISOC to read and understand the law first before making such statement.

He said Globe will continue to roll out using the spectrum assets it gained access to following to deal with SMC as this is necessary to improve the internet situation in the country. Earlier, the Duterte administration called for a faster, reliable and cheaper internet service to be done in one year. With this, the company is currently in the process of activating the 700 MHz frequency spectrum in about 500 based stations in various parts of the country, expected for comple-

tion within by the end of the year. Globe is also making use of its additional allocation in the 2600 MHz band to provide additional layer for its LTE network for faster data connectivity.

Globe further emphasized that this sale will not restrict competition in the market, as both PLDT and Globe have surrendered a substantial block of frequency of San Miguel to the NTC. With these surrendered frequency plus those in reserve with the NTC, a substantial block will still be available for a potential third player. Moreover, the current stiff competition between major players Globe and PLDT is enough evidence that this will not result to an anti-competitive scenario.

“In fact, this will benefit more the consumers, as this new frequencies will unlock a lot of service potentials which would lead to an efficient and better service”, Castelo ends.

Globe Telecom not blocking PCC to do job G

HE Social Security System (SSS) is in talks with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) regarding a “portal-sharing” agreement that will allow it to access the PhilHealth database for payment information on members who undergo hemodialysis for work-related conditions following the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) board resolution on the medical procedure issued this year.

SSS Officer-in-Charge of Medical Services Division Brenda P. Viola said the memorandum of agreement between the SSS and PhilHealth will help facilitate the pension fund’s processing of claims for hemodialysis patients which are coverable by the Employees’ Compensation (EC) Program.

“SSS will pay or reimburse the cost of hemodialysis for qualified members after their PhilHealth coverage for the same procedure has been exhausted. Quick access to PhilHealth data will make it easier for us to determine how much members will get for these treatments under the EC Program,” she said.

The creation of the information-sharing agreement was spearheaded by PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Alexander A. Padilla and ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis.

Hemodialysis involves the removal of waste, extra fluid and unnecessary chemicals from the blood of a person suffering from renal failure using an artificial kidney. Under EC guidelines, the payment for hemodialysis is P2,600 per session, which is equal to the rate currently provided by PhilHealth.

In line with EC policies, the SSS will shoulder the remaining cost for hemodialysis subject to the specified P2,600 limit per session after the 90-session PhilHealth coverage per year has been exhausted by the qualified SSS member.

The allotted P2,600 EC benefit is comprised of P350

for the professional fee and P2,250 for the health care institution fee, which covers the use of facilities and dialysis machines and the purchase of drugs, medicines and supplies such as fistula kits, blood tubing sets, dialyzers, syringes and gauzes.

Viola advised SSS members to first avail of PhilHealth’s payment or reimbursement for hemodialysis expenses, which is often automatically factored into the patient’s hospital bill. PhilHealth has a hemodialysis package rate of P2,600 per session that covers a maximum of 90 sessions per year.

“Once the 90-session allotment from PhilHealth is completely consumed, then the SSS member can file for hemodialysis payment or reimbursement under the EC Program. We emphasize that the member’s medical condition must be work-related for the claim to be covered by the program,” she said.

SSS members with work-connected chronic kidney diseases are coverable by the EC Program. They can already receive benefits for EC sickness or disability even while their payments or reimbursements for hemodialysis are still being shouldered by PhilHealth.

The EC Program provides additional benefits for illnesses, injuries, disabilities and deaths caused by the workers’ employment. EC benefit disbursements for SSS members amounted to P1.1 billion last year covering workers’ claims for sickness, disability, medical services, rehabilitation, death and funeral.

“Workers can claim benefits for the same contingency from the EC Program as well as from the Social Security (SS) Program, which is the regular package offered by SSS, provided that they meet the respective EC and SS requirements,” Viola explained.

The EC Program is jointly administered by the SSS for covered workers in the private sector, and by the Government Service Insurance System for employees in the public sector.

DOST all set for NST week

A

S mandated through the Presidential Proclamation 169 in 1993, the third week of July of every year is declared as the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW).

This year, NSTW will be simultaneously celebrated all throughout the country.

The Department of Science and Technology Region XI (DOST XI), in partnership with the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), will spearhead the celebration in the city which will officially kick off on July 25, 2016 at the NCCC Mall Davao Activity Area.

With the theme, “Juan Sci-

ence, One Nation,” the NSTW 2016 will feature the agency’s flagship programs, bringing together various technologies and services implemented under the DOST System.

The celebration of NSTW is aimed at bringing science and technology closer to the people. It also aims to recognize the roles and contributions of various personalities in the field of science and technology.

To learn more about DOST XI’s projects and programs, you may visit and check out the booths and exhibit during the NSTW 2016 at the NCCC Mall Activity Area from July 25 to 27, 2016.

EDGEDAVAO

12 BIGGER PICTURE On the rise: Teenage pregnancy

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO “We have to teach them that pregnancy is not a set outcome of something pleasurable. What we want (these teenagers) to realize the responsibility that is a gift given to those who are bound to each other for a lifetime.” -- Dr. Jean S. Tay, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Davao Doctors Hospital *** ER classmates were caught unaware. She passed them and went straight to the national highway – walking as if she was under the influence of drugs. Everyone screamed when a speeding vehicle came to her way. It was good that the driver was able to stop before he hit her.

H

At the school principal’s office, she was interrogated.

“I am three months pregnant,” said the 17-year-old high school student. The principal was further stunned when he found out that the father was much younger -- only 16 years old.

In Western countries like the United States, teen pregnancy may not surprise anyone at all. But in a developing country like the Philippines, it may come as a shock -- particularly among priests and religious leaders. “From time to time, we always emphasized that pre-marital sex is morally wrong!” said a Catholic priest.

The bad news is: teen pregnancy in the country is increasing. “We are the highest in terms of number over the decade,” Gabriela Women’s Party-list Luz Ilagan answered when asked by reporters during the regular Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City recently.

“The ratio on teenage pregnancy in the country is on the rise.”

Teenage pregnancy, according to EDGE Davao reporter Alexander D. Lopez, who attended the forum, is when a woman, who is less than 19 years old, becomes pregnant.

About 13.6% of Filipino girls aged 15-19 are pregnant.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines is the only country where the rate of teen pregnancies rose over the last two decades, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) noted in its recent report.

A recent survey – with 4,111 youth respondents -- found out that the average age at which first sexual intercourse is experience is 15.7 years old. Males experienced earlier sexual initiation than females (15.5 years vs. 16.7 years). On the average, sexually active adolescents have 3.5 sexual partners.

The sexual experience of the youth ranges from oral sex to penile-vaginal intercourse and anal sex. Penile-vaginal sex comprises of the majority of these sexual experiences.

Of those who have been sexually active, 49 percent have engaged in oral sex (either as

recipient or giver). Anal sex was experienced by almost a quarter of those who are sexually active. Sex with the same gender was experienced by 23 percent of all sexually active respondents.

But why do these teenagers engaged in sex early in life?

Curiosity was the main reason cited why they lost their virginity. Love was the second reason while aroused feelings came third. Five percent of the respondents said they were forced to have sex the first time while three percent did it in exchange for food and/or money.

Although not too many Filipino youngsters admitted it, experts consider peer pressure as one of the reasons why female teenagers are engaged in sex early in life. This is especially common among girls who feel unpopular among their peers. “For many young adolescents, having a steady boyfriend is vital to their self-esteem,”” explains Dr Marita McCabe, professor of psychology at Deakin University’s Toorak campus in Melbourne.

“They feel they must also have sex with their boyfriends to be accepted by their peer group.

They are under enormous pressure to conform.”

The aforementioned survey, which was conducted by the Health Action Information Network (HAIN), found that peer pressure is stronger among males. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my friends if I was still a virgin,” said 18-year-old Mark, who had his first sexual experience when he was 15. “I probably couldn’t say anything about sex if I had not experienced it myself.”

The survey showed that most of these youngsters lost their virginity to the person they loved (boyfriend or girlfriend). When asked about the circumstances surrounding their first engagement in sex, more than half (54 percent) said they wanted it to happen at that time, while 38 percent claimed that their first sexual experience just happened.

“My boyfriend asked me if I loved him and I said yes,” said 16-year-old Linda. “He said

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016 that if I really loved him, I had to prove it by giving myself to him completely. I didn’t want to lose him so I had to give in to his wishes.” Six months later after “the sex encounter” happened – and pregnant! – her boyfriend dumped her for another girl.

About 4 percent of the 143 female respondents have been pregnant with the average age of first pregnancy being 17.

Among males, 2 percent reported that they have gotten a woman pregnant. “This disparity could mean that women, being the first to know if they are pregnant, are more inclined to admit their condition than boys,” the HAIN report explained. “On the other hand, boys may not be aware that their sexual experiences had resulted in pregnancy.”

Studies conducted by the World Bank from 2000 to 2003 ranked the Philippines as one of the top 10 countries with an increasing number of teenage mothers. Seven out of 10 Filipina mothers are adolescents; most of them are

below 19 years old.

“It is unlikely that a sexually active teenager will settle with a single partner for life,” says Dr. Mildred R. Yutuc, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Caloocan City. In fact, there are some girls who claim that they engage in casual sex with acquaintances.

In her more than two decades of medical practice, Dr. Yutuc seldom encounters sexually active teenage patients until in the past three years. “I have observed that the number of single mothers who ask for help regarding sex-related problems gets younger,” she says.

“Sex outside of marriage with multiple partners has consequences,” Dr. Yutuc writes in an article which appeared in “Health and Home.”

“And when the girl is only in her teens, the consequences are truly serious.”

In an article which appeared in “Health and Lifestyle,” author Ma. Vanessa L. Estinozo quoted Dr. Jean S.

F TEENAGE, 10

13 PROPERTY

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Construction of Aeon Towers moves up near halfway

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

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njb@edgedavao.net

ONSTRUCTION works for Davao City’s next iconic structure has moved up to the 15th level halfway through the year.

As of July 15, the construction team of the 33-level Aeon Towers project reported the concreting of the 15th floor and will soon be moving upwards. The building is set for topping off by the end of the year.

Only a few units are left for the Aeon Towers and its owners are set to unfurl major breakthroughs in the coming weeks.

Aeon Towers is the initial venture into real estate development by the FTC Group of Companies, a Davao-born firm with highly successful track record in business.

FTC Group of Companies president and CEO Ian Cruz said the project is right on schedule based on timelines.

“We are happy to inform our clients that the project is moving right on schedule.

Pretty soon this building will be up for occupation,” said

Cruz.

Aeon Towers, located at JP Laurel Avenue in Davao’s CBD, will have residential units of varying sizes and features in several floors, a luxury hotel, fitness gym, jogging lane, shops, BPO offices, skydeck pool, and offices.

Marketing head Gen

Marchan said future residents of Aeon Towers will have the bragging rights to the best views available in the skyline of Davao City.

“Aeon Towers offer residential units facing the city or the City View and at another side facing the Island Garden City of Samal or the Island View,” Marchan said.

The Aeon Towers building is cast in glass and will have a clear look at the majestic environs of Davao which is primed to be the the next prime destination and investment haven of the country especially with the election of former Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte as President.

14 CLASSIFIEDS

EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS Serving a seamless society

EDGEDAVAO GENSAN PARTNERS Serving a seamless society

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

VOL. 9 ISSUE 102 • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

EDGEDAVAO

SPORTS15

SHOTS OF HIS LIFE 63 gives Stenson The Open victory H

EMOTIONAL. Henrik Stenson hits 10 birdies in the final round to edge a bogey-free Phil Mickelson. AP

PH rep Mighty Sports debuts in Jones Cup

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HILIPPINE representative Mighty Sports Apparels has a tough opener against Taipei on Saturday in the 38th William Jones Cup. Although they are battling the home squad, Mighty Sports is also hoping to get crowd support from Filipino migrants.

Game is set at 7 p.m.

NBA veteran Al Thornton and fellow former PBA imports Hamady N’Diaye of Senegal and Zach Graham of the

US have been tapped to beef up the Mighty Sports squad.

Mighty Sports will face South Korea on Monday, a team from the United States on Tuesday and Japan on Wednesday, a schedule that coach Bo Perasol described as a “killer stretch.”

“The field is one of the toughest in the history of the league so it’s going to be a ‘mission impossible’ for us,” said Mighty Sports team manager Jean Alabanza.

Mighty Sports, backed

by Scratch It Pera-Pera AgadAgad! and Symarom, takes on India on Thursday, before battling defending champion Iran with NBA veteran Hamed Haddadi on Friday, a team from Egypt on Saturday before capping its campaign against Taiwan B. “That’s going to be a crucial stretch for us because certainly it will set the trend,” added Mighty Sports president John Sy.

Phoenix still needs to mature D ESPITE having a good number of veterans at his disposal, Phoenix head coach Ariel Vanguardia believes the Fuel Masters still need more time to mature.

Vanguardia made the assessment in the aftermath of a 124-113 loss to the defending PBA Governors’ Cup champions San Miguel Beermen on Sunday that put the team in an early 0-2 hole.

“Kumbaga, kailangan ikalburo. Parang sa prutas, mura pa. Hindi pa talaga mature yung team,” said Vanguardia as soon as he emerged from the team’s dugout at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Since he’s fielding a relatively young team, the new Phoenix mentor also noted that there is a need to develop “mental toughness” as well as a solid defense.

“When the going gets tough, medyo hindi pa buo ‘yung team. Wala pang mental toughness.

Lumalabas yung ‘youth,” he added.

“We know we can score but we gave up too many points. Talagang

kailangan di kami magbigay ng puntos.”

Still, Vanguardia is happy that at least for the most part, his high-octane team went full throttle.

In fact, the Fuel Masters even led by as much as 11 points, 65-54.

“I’m a guy t h a t looks at it half full rather than half empty,” he said. “ M a y mga positives talaga na nangyari.”

“Dapat talaga masaktan muna kami sa mga talo para matuto kami.”

NEW ACQUISITION. Cyrus Baguio is Phoenix’s new main man.

ENRIK Stenson is the champion golfer of the year, thanks to a final round for the ages.

He kept hitting the best shots of his life, one after another, and he needed each one to stay ahead of Phil Mickelson in a British Open duel that ranked among the best in major championship history.

Stenson made 10 birdies, including a 50-foot putt across the 15th green that had him pumping his fist in a rare show of emotion on Sunday.

The final stroke in this masterpiece was a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that curled into the cup on the final turn. It gave him an 8-under 63, tying Johnny Miller at Oakmont for the greatest closing round by a major champion, and Stenson didn’t even realize it until he sat down to sign his card.

Records didn’t matter. This was about winning his first major.

“Right now I’m running on adrenaline. But there will be some point when I’ll struggle to make it up the stairs when I get back to the house,” Stenson said after four hours of an epic battle between two 40-somethings at Royal Troon.

Mickelson was a runner-up for the 11th time in a major, but never like this. He can’t look back at a mistake because he really didn’t make any.

He opened with a 63, closed with a career-best 65, shot the second-best score in Open history and was 11 shots better than everyone in the field.

Except one.

“It’s probably the best I’ve played and not won,” Mickel-

son said. “I think that’s probably why it’s disappointing in that I don’t have a point where I can look back and say, ‘I should have done that or had I only done this.’ I played a bogey-free round of 65 on the final round of a major. Usually, that’s good enough to do it, and I got beat. I got beat by 10 birdies.”

He got beat by arguably the best final round in 156 years of major championships.

Miller also made 10 birdies in his final round of the 1973 US Open, and then waited to see if anyone could catch him.

Stenson started the final round with a one-shot lead over Mickelson, and knew it would be a two-man race from the opening hole when Mickelson nearly holed out from the fairway.

He answered great shot with one of his own, finally pulling away with birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, and then a third in a row after Mickelson drilled a 3-wood onto the green at the par-5 16th and came within a fraction of an inch of making an eagle.

The last birdie was for the record book.

Stenson finished at 264, breaking by one shot the 72hole scoring record in the majors that David Toms set in the 2001 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. His 20-under par matched Jason Day’s record for lowest under par at last year’s PGA Championship.

His biggest challenge was 46-year-old Mickelson, who has won five majors.

“I knew he wasn’t going to back down at any point, and in a way that makes it easier for myself,” Stenson said. “I knew I had to keep on pushing, keep

on giving myself birdie chances. He wasn’t going to give it to me, so I had to pull away. I’m just delighted I managed to do that with a couple of birdies at the right time.”

This was heavyweight material, reminiscent of the “Duel in the Sun” just down the Ayrshire coastline at Turnberry in 1977, when Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus battled to the final hole, and no one else was closer than 10 shots.

Stenson and Mickelson were never separated by more than two shots over 40 straight holes until the Swede’s final birdie. In the final round, they combined to make 14 birdies and an eagle. If this was a better-ball match, they would have shot 59.

“I’ve always thought that he is one of the best ball-strikers in the game and that major championships are perfectly suited for him,” Mickelson said. “I knew that he would ultimately come through and win. I’m happy that he did. I’m disappointed that it was at my expense.”

J.B. Holmes won the B-Flight. He finished third, 14 shots behind.

The Swede won his first major in his 42nd attempt, becoming only the ninth player to capture his first major after turning 40. Beyond the score, the measure of his performance was that he putted for a birdie on every hole Sunday in a mild wind off the Irish Sea. Stenson three-putted for bogey from just off the first green, and he three-putted on No. 11 to fall back into a tie for the lead.

They matched pars on only six of the 18 holes.

Paras agrees to play for Creighton

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OBE Paras has committed to play for Big East school Creighton in Division I of the US NCAA after a controversial parting of ways with the UCLA Bruins.

Paras has committed to join the Omaha, Nebraska-based Bluejays, a school which has produced future NBA players like Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings big man Antho-

ny Tolliver, and Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermont.

The move comes just weeks after Paras was dropped by the UCLA Bruins, even if he had long committed to play for the team coached by former Indiana star Steve Alford.

At Creighton, Paras is set to play for another high-profile Division I school which plays against the likes of

reigning NCAA champion Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall, Providence, Butler, Marquette, Georgetown, DePaul, St. Johns in the tough Big East Conference.

The Jays, coached by McDermott’s father Greg, have yet to reach the Final Four but have made 19 tournament appearances, the last in 2014.

Last season, Creighton finished sixth in the Big East.

The PSC is currently busy with the 2016 Rio Olympics taking place next month. The Philippines is set to send 12 athletes. In 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will host the Southeast Asian Games.

In a related report, ac-

cording to sports columnist Recah Trinidad, Ramirez confirmed that President Duterte has given the go-signal for Davao City to host the 2019 edition of the Southeast Asian Games.

Ramirez said that Philippine Olympic Committee

(POC) president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and a team of Filipino officials have already submitted a letter of acceptance to host the Games.

He added he is also confident of Duterte doing everything to make sure the event comes out a success.

Davao... FROM 16

16 EDGEDAVAO Sports

Davao to host 2019 SEA Games

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

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njb@edgedavao.net

AVAO City could step in the shoes of Manila when the country takes over the hosting chores of the biennial Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

A report by Rappler confirmed that Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chair William “Butch” Ramirez said on Sunday that the Philippines will host the 2019 Southeast Asian Games with Manila and Davao City as the top two choices to hold the multi-nation event.

But with Manila’s congestion and its ages-old facilities, Davao City could be the best alternative and with Dabawenyo President Rodrigo Duterte’s support, things are looking headed to the South.

Ramirez, who was PSC chair from 2005 to 2009 and reclaimed the position after accepting the offer of Duterte, said that Manila is the “number one option with all [its] facilities.”

The Rappler report said, however, that it doesn’t

mean Davao is out of the race. In fact, Ramirez said that Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco decided to hold the 2019 SEA Games in Davao.

Six technical persons are set to evaluate the following facilities and check if they are suitable for the SEA Games: University of the Philippines Mindanao, University of Mindanao, the Kingdome of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, and the Davao Norte Sports Complex.

According to the same report, the final decision will come down to the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

“By next week we will be setting the Philippine Organizing Committee,” Ramirez said via phone. “By December, I think we will have a final [decision], but the Southeast Asian Games Federal Council has already given the hosting to the Philippines.

“The government will just be supporting them in

terms of local government support, national government [support.]”

Ramirez admits that the city hosting the SEA Games would be “beautiful and good for Mindanao tourism and the stability of Mindanao,” but many other aspects are in consideration.

“The global situation is very fragile,” said the PSC chair, “so you always think of Manila as the possible host.

“We will also prepare Manila, another option,” he added. “As we go along, meron talaga sigurong two options ang Pilipinas (“the Philippines really has maybe two options”).

The last time the Philippines hosted the Southeast Asian Games was in Manila in 2005, when the country topped the medal tally with 291 medals - 113 golds, 84 silvers, 94 bronzes. The Philippines hasn’t finished first at the SEA Games since.

Last year, the country finished in sixth place with 131 medals - 29 golds, 36 silvers, 66 bronzes.

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